Chi Shao
| 9g | |
|
Pinyin: Chi Shao
Chinese: 赤芍
Pharmaceutical: Radix Paeoniae Rubra
Taxonomy: Paeonia lactiflora seu veitchii
English: Red Peony Root
| |
Tastes: Bitter, pungent, light cold
Meridians Entered: Liver
|
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and cools the Blood
Xue Stage Heat Stage Heat or Blood Heat with fever, a purple tongue, maculae, hemorrhage and Blood Heat gynecological problems
- Clears Liver Fire and relieves eye pain
Liver Fire with redness, swelling and pain of the eyes
- Reduces swelling from sores and abscesses
Early stage abscesses and boils
|
Standard Dosage: 6-12g in decoction.
Cautions: It is antagonistic to Li Lu. It should be used with caution in hot skin conditions where it may aggravate by "fanning the flames". Caution with anticoagulants as it may slow clotting time. May also slow the absorption of phenytoin. |
|
Sheng Di Huang
| 15g | |
|
Pinyin: Sheng Di Huang
Chinese: 生地黃
Pharmaceutical: Radix Rehmanniae
Taxonomy: Rehmannia glutinosa
English: Chinese Foxglove Root / Rehmannia Root
| |
Tastes: Sweet, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Stomach and Kidney
|
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and cools the Blood
Ying Stage Heat with high fever, thirst and a scarlet tongue
Xue Stage Heat
Hemorrhage due to Blood Heat
- Nourishes Yin, generates fluids, increases saliva and treats wasting and thirsting
Yin Deficiency with Heat signs
Injury to fluids
Throat pain due to Yin Deficiency
Wasting and thirsting disorder (Xiao Ke - diabetes)
- Cools Heart Fire
Heart Fire
- Calms the Spirit agitated by Parasites damaging the Yin
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
|
Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of diarrhea, abdomen distention due to spleen deficiency. |
|
Da Huang
| 9g | |
|
Pinyin: Da Huang
Chinese: 大黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix et Rhizoma Rhei
Taxonomy: Rheum palmatum
English: Chinese Rhubarb Root
| |
Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Large Intestine, Spleen, Stomach, Liver and Heart
|
Actions & Indications:
- Drains Heat and purges accumulations
Intestinal Heat Excess, with high fever, profuse sweating, thirst, constipation, abdominal distention and pain, delirium, a yellow tongue coat and a full pulse
Yang-Ming Fu Stage
Qi Level Heat in the Intestines
- Drains Fire
Fire from Excess with intense fever, sore throat, and painful eyes and constipation
Fire toxin sores due to Xue Level Heat, especially with constipation
- Clears Heat, transforms Dampness and promotes urination
Damp-Heat with oedema, jaundice, painful urinary dysfunction and acute, hot dysenteric disorders
- Drains Heat from the Blood
Bloody stool either from hemorrhoids or Heat in the Intestines
Chaotic movement of hot Blood with hemoptysis or epistaxis with constipation
It can be powdered and administered orally for bleeding in the upper digestive tract
- Invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis
Blood Stasis with amenorrhea, fixed abdominal masses or fixed pain
Blood Stasis due to traumatic injury
Intestinal abscess
- Clears Heat and reduces Fire toxicity
Topically or internally for burns or skin lesions (Chuang Yung) due to Heat
- Clears Heat and eliminates Phlegm
Chronic Accumulation of Phlegm-Heat with cough, dyspnea, mania, disorientation and other symptoms of Phlegm Misting the Heart
|
Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction. Excessive decoction will reduce the purgative action. Therefore it should be added at end to achieve this purpose and over-decocted to eliminate this action.
Cautions: It should be used with caution in case of spleen and stomach deficiency for its bitter and cold property which is easily to damage stomach qi. It is contraindicated to women during pregnancy, menstruation or lactation for it has actions of activating blood and resolving stasis, and can make the purged substances follow lactating out. |
|
Huang Lian
| 6g | |
|
Pinyin: Huang Lian
Chinese: 黄连
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Coptidis
Taxonomy: Coptidis chinensis
English: Coptis Rhizome / Goldthread Rhizome
| |
Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Stomach, Large Intestine and Liver
|
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and drains Dampness
Damp-Heat in the Stomach or Intestines with diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
Stomach Heat with vomiting and/or acid regurgitation
- Drains Fire and resolves Fire toxicity
Heat with Blazing Fire (Toxic Heat) with high fever. irritability, disorientation, delirium, a red tongue and a rapid, full pulse
Heat from Excess with toxicity: painful, red eyes and a sore throat
Boils, carbuncles and abscesses (Chuang Yung)
- Clears Heat and stops bleeding
Blood Heat with epistaxis, hematuria, hemafecia and hemoptysis
- Clears Heat topically
Infected wounds, red and painful eyes, ulcerations of the tongue and mouth (topical)
- Clears Heart Fire (sedative)
Heart Fire
Lack of communication between the Heart and Kidneys
- Drains Stomach Fire
Stomach Fire
|
Standard Dosage: 2-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome. Because its taste is extremly bitter and dryness, overdosage and long-time taking will impair spleen and stomach, yin and fluids. |
|
Huang Bai
| 6g | |
|
Pinyin: Huang Bai
Chinese: 黄柏
Pharmaceutical: Cortex Phellodendri
Taxonomy: Phellodendron amurense seu chinense
English: Amur Corktree Bark
| |
Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Gallbladder, Large Intestine, Kidney and Bladder
|
Actions & Indications:
- Drains Damp-Heat especially from the Lower Jiao
Thick, yellow vaginal discharge, foul smelling diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao
Hot Leg Qi with red, swollen, painful knees, legs or feet
Damp-Heat jaundice
- Drains Kidney Fire (False Heat, Deficiency Heat)
Kidney Yin Deficiency with Empty Fire Rising (steaming bone disorder, night sweats, afternoon fevers and sweating, occasionally with nocturnal emissions and spermatorrhea)
- Drains Fire and relieves Fire toxicity
Toxic sores and Damp-skin lesions (internally and topically)
|
Standard Dosage: 6-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome. Overdosage and long-time taking will impair spleen and stomach. |
|
Mang Xiao
| 3g | | |
Pinyin: Mang Xiao
Chinese: 芒硝
Pharmaceutical: Natrii Sulfas
Taxonomy: Na2SO4·10H2O
English: Glauber's Salt / Mirabilite
| |
Tastes: Salty, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Stomach and Large Intestine
|
Actions & Indications:
- Purges accumulations, guides out Stagnation, softens hardness and moistens Dryness
Heat in the Stomach and Intestines with constipation and hard knots
- Clears Heat and drains Fire
Heat in the Stomach or Lungs especially accumulated Phlegm or clumping in the Intestines
- Clears Heat and reduces swelling
Red, swollen, painful eyes
Painful, ulcerated, swollen mouth or throat (topical)
Red, swollen skin lesions (topical)
Mastitis (topical) (promotes lactation)
|
Standard Dosage: 10-15g dissolved into decoction at end.
Cautions: Use with caution for women during lactation for its milk regurgitation action. It is contraindicated to pregnant women.
Mineral products are prohibited from use in the UK under the Medicines Act 1968 ch. 67 which restricts herbalists to the use of plant products only. It is generally substituted with Yu Li Ren. If the osmotic laxative effects of salts are required then Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) are more commonly available in the UK, although they still come under the same laws and would have to be included as lifestyle advice, to be sourced and dosed by the patient, not prescribed and given by the herbalist. |
|
Reference Notes: (click to display)
Most formulas are found in Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet (2009): Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies and Chen & Chen (2015) Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. Others are from translations of primary sources. It is recommended that the original material is cross-referenced for mistakes and additional information.
Substitutions have been taken from Ken Lloyd & Prof. Leung (2004): Mayway UK Substitution List or the above publications and are intended as suggestions to help navigate the tight restrictions in the UK quickly. More applicable substitutions may be appropriate in specific situations.
Individual herb information has initially been sourced from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted.